Casual Contemporary

It seems as though life gets busier all the time, between work, kids’ activities, and other daily obligations. When you’re able to be at home and spend time with family and friends, you want it to be a relaxing, comfortable place with plenty of space to fit everyone’s needs. And you want to feel like your home is a place where you can get away from all the hustle and bustle. One home in particular, located in the West Shores lake community off of Highway 275 and West Dodge Road, can offer all of that.

Built by Nathan Homes, the 4,590 sq. ft. custom ranch is considered casual contemporary in style. Nate Bumgardner, owner of Nathan Homes, said he specializes in this type of transitional home with modern elements. “With the size of ranch homes we build, especially on a walk-out lot, they offer so much flexibility,” he said. “The West Shores home is big, so families with older kids can have space for them in the basement.”

The home has five bedrooms, three in the basement and two on the main floor with the master suite at one end that includes its own laundry room off the master closet. It has an open, inviting floor plan with 12-foot ceilings and 8-foot doorways that allow for a light, bright look and feel. “It’s laid back luxury,” said CBS Home realtor Karen Jennings. “It’s beautiful, but it’s a casual environment. Nobody wants to live in a museum.”

The kitchen was designed with multiple functions in mind. There are double islands—one for work space and prepping meals, and a second that has enough room for bar stools all the way around it. “It’s a space for daily life,” Jennings said. “You can eat, do homework, have coffee, and there’s still room in the kitchen for a traditional table.” The kitchen flooring provides the warm look of wood, but it’s actually tile, which provides durability and longevity.

The walk-out basement was designed with families in mind and includes an expansive bar with faux finish details, a wine cellar, and a home theater. The home backs to a natural preserve, which offers plenty of privacy. It has access to the 200-acre recreational sand-bottom lake with the additional option to purchase a boat dock. “There’s just something about being near a lake that offers peace and quiet, and makes you feel better,” Jennings said.

She described the ideal homeowner as empty nesters, a professional couple, or a busy family who doesn’t have time to spend on exterior maintenance. The home is on a villa lot, so lawn care and snow removal are included. Bumgardner designed the home to be zero entry, both from the garage into the house and through the front door, so that stairs aren’t an issue for disabled or older residents.

Other elements that make the home unique are the matte finish granite countertops in the master bathroom, the oversized steel built-in fire pit on the back patio, and the fireplace surround, which is a 39×10 foot long thin tile product that looks like stone. “We wanted everything in the home to have clean lines,” Bumgardner said. “So we carried that throughout, from the steel planters on the outside to the cabinets on the inside. There’s nothing busy about the look of this house.”

Even the furniture brought in for staging was to emphasize the casual atmosphere. Jennings said they worked with Cort Furniture and Stage Aura to showcase the large functional spaces in the home. “This house is exactly the way people want to live today,” she said. “Tall ceilings, covered decks, and beautiful custom accents. People should be able to love their home.”